1. Field of the Invention
The present teachings relate to an interactive virtual personal trainer and method that allow a user to achieve an individualized full-body workout. More particularly, the present teachings relate to a feedback-responsive training system and method that allow a user to train according to a choreographed full-contact audio/video routine during which the quality of impacts exerted by the user are evaluated and feedback in the form of routine variation and audio/visual instructions are provided. The virtual trainer system and method can thereby provide the user with real-time workout analysis and customized audio/video instruction simulating a personal workout session coached by an experienced human personal trainer.
2. Description of Related Art
Known exercise devices for contact-related workouts provide a limited amount of feedback with respect to the quality of the exercise a user is performing. Many of these devices provide a random or programmed sequence of targets on an object that is to be struck. The target is usually a visual stimulus, such as a light, or an auditory stimulus, such as a tone from a speaker.
When using these known devices, the user is prompted to react with some type of striking response. The striking response is usually a jab, punch, block, kick, or combination thereof, that results in impacting or triggering the target with varying degrees of speed and/or force. Characteristics of the striking response such as response time can then be evaluated and fed back to the user as variable sounds or tones. At the end of the prompted sequence, a total score is tallied to provide the user with an indication of the total number and quality of strikes that the target has taken. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,354, 4,818,234, 4,974,833, 5,899,809, 6,110,079, and 6,464,622 disclose target devices with electronic sensors and signaling devices which can be struck by the user. These known exercise devices can be referred to as Go/No Go systems because they evaluate and store the requested strike response and then automatically go to the next target in sequence until a total score is provided at the end of the sequence.
Other known systems are designed to provide feedback based upon a measurement of the power of a strike response. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0216228 A1 provides a sparring partner device that is designed to receive strikes and blows and to measure the intensity thereof. The intensity of each strike is used to lookup a tone sequence that is played on a speaker. When the sum of force values equals a preset value corresponding to a TKO setting, the workout or match ends. JP Pat. No. 40127480A provides a boxing game that displays blows imparted to a dummy opponent on a monitor as the player strikes a blow bag. When accumulated damage to either the dummy or the player is in excess of a specified value, a knockout is reported and the game ends.
Known devices lack the ability to provide users with an interactive feedback-controlled audiovisual workout that challenges and motivates users during the workout to achieve maximum benefits. Accordingly, a need exists for a training system that simulates a full-contact type workout of the type achieved when being coached by an experienced human personal trainer.